Hello GST: Mom-And-Pop Stores Continue To Sell Products At Old Prices
Mumbai’s kiranawalas stuck in pre-GST mode.
For many mom-and-pop stores in Mumbai it’s as if nothing changed on July 1. The launch of the Goods and Services Tax across India went unmarked.
These small, local grocery stores are still selling goods at pre-GST prices. That’s because many of them, if not all, are carrying stock from before July 1. This stock is labelled with pre-GST prices and hence store keepers say they have no choice but to sell at old prices.
Companies have not yet given us any clarity on the new rates, they have not told us if prices have increased or decreased. Since, they have not declared it to us, how do you expect us to decide the pricing of the product. We are confused about what to do.Narendra Parmar, Proprietor, Shantilal Mavji Kenia Stores (Dadar, Mumbai)
A few retailers that BloombergQuint spoke to expect goods with new price tags to arrive at stores only by next fortnight. But a leading distributor, Dhairyashil Patil, also national president of All India Consumer Products Distributors’ Federation, said goods with new prices will be available in the next four to five days.
Meanwhile modern retail chains, such as Future Retail, which runs hypermarkets under the brand name Big Bazaar, are trying to lure customers by offering discounts in the range of 2-22 percent.